Foundation garment or the like



M. LAcsuzzl FOUNDATION'GARMENT OR THE LIKE Nov. 18, 1958 2 Sheets-She et 1 Filed July [29} 1955 INVENTOR MARIO LAGUZZI FIG.

FIG. 2.

ATTORNEYS Nov. 18, 1958 M. LAGUZZl 2,866,641

FOUNDATION GARMENT OR THE LIKE Filed July 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MARIO LAGUZZI BY My ATTORNEYS Unite tats FOUNDATION GARMENT OR THE LIKE Mario Laguzzi, New York, N. Y., assignor to Poirette Corsets, Inc., New York, N.

Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,199

13 Claims. (Cl. 128-541) The present invention relates to foundation garments of the type designed to control and smooth the contours of the human body.

An important object of the invention is to construct a foundation type garment of elastic sections of material formed into panels with the sections overlapped to create zones of extra strength and control delineated by the lines of stitching by which the sections are joined whereby said zones may be so fashioned as to exert varying degrees of control on desired portions of the body of the wearer, the garment having a rear panel and juxtaposed pairs of panels secured to said rear panel and to each other, the elastic sections being formed of material having either one-way or two-way stretch characteristics, and combined with other sections having like plastic properties or formed of non-elastic material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment of the above type in which the overlapped portions of the elasticized panels of the garment are formed so as to provide additional control pressures on the abdomen region, the hips and the buttocks, so as to control and smooth the contours thereof and flatten the stomach without producing undesirable bulges at the top of the garment.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification, when considered in relation to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention;

. Figure 2 is a front perspective view of the garment;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the garment; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the side panel sections showing the extent of overlapping by means of dotted lines;

Figure 5 is a vertical cross section taken along the line 55 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 7 is a front perspective view of the garment shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the garment shown in Figure 6, and

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the panel sections of Figure 6, showing the overlap detail in dotted lines.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference numeral It) indicates generally a foundation garment or the like constructed according to the invention. Garment 10 consists of a rear panel 11 formed of elastic or inelastic material and terminating short of the waistline 12 of the garment 10. An elastic upper rear panel member 13 is secured at 14 to the top edge of the rear panel 11 by means of stitching. The rear panel 11 is provided with side edges 15 which extend in a generally parallel relation to each other. A side panel, generally indicated at 16, is composed of a plurality of sections formed of elastic material. The lowermost section 17 is provided with a bottom edge 2,860,641 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 18 which forms a portion of the bottom edge 18 of the garment 11). An upright side edge 19 is secured to the upright edge 15 of the rear panel 11 by means of stitching, and the upper edge 20 extends upwardly and forwardly from the side edge 19 thereof. A central section 21 has an upright side edge 22 secured to the side edge 15 of the rear panel 11 above the side edge 19. The section 21 is provided with a bottom edge 23 which is secured by means of stitching to the section 17, and the top edge 20 of the section 17 is secured by means of stitching to the section 21. The top edge 20 of the section 17 is formed slightly concave, as shown in Fig are l. The bottom edge 23 of the section 21 extends upwardly and forwardly from the panel 11. The section 21 is provided with a concave top edge 24 which extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear panel .11. A top section 25 is secured along one upright edge 26 to the edge 15 of the rear panel 11 and to the edge 27 of the panel 11-; by means of stitching. Section 25 has a top edge 12, forming part of the waistline 12, of the garment 11b. The bottom edge 28 of the section 25 is formed concave and overlaps the section 21 and is secured thereto by means of stitching along the edges 24 and 28. The edge 28 of the section 25 extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear panel 11.

Sections 17, 21 and 25 complete the side panel 16 and have a common upright forward edge 29 extending from the bottom edge 18 to the top edge 12 of the garment.

The front of the garment 11B is formed of a pair of identical reversed panels 3d and 31, each of which are formed of a plurality of sections formed of elastic material. Panels 31 and 31 are each provided with a lower section having a bottom edge 18 forming a portion of the bottom edge 13 of the garment 10. An upright rear edge 33 is secured by means of stitching to the upright edge 29 of the panel 16. An opposed upright front edge 34 is secured to the corresponding edge 34 of the panel 31. A center section 35 is secured along one upright side edge 36 to the side edge 29 of the panel 16 by means of stitching, and is provided with a concave lower edge 37 and a concave upper edge 38 which converge to a point at 39 where the section 35 contacts the forward edge of the panel 36 The section 32 is provided with a concave upper edge 40 with the edges 40 and 37 overlapped and secured together by means of stitching. An upper section 41 is secured along the rear upright side edge 42 thereof to the upright edge 29 of the panel 1a. A forward upright edge 43 of the section 41 is secured to a like edge 43 of the panel 31. i The bottom edge 44 of the section 41 is concave and extends downwardly and forwardly from the edge 29 of the panel 16. The edge 44 and the edge 38 are overlapped and secured together by means of stitching. The edge 44 of the section 431 and the edge 41? of the section 32 intersect at a point approximately midway of the panel. 30 and have the front portions thereof overlapped as at 45. The overlapped portions 45 of the sections 32 and41 are further overlapped by the forward portion 46 of the section 35 so that the panel 30 has a central portion comprising three layers of overlapped sections.

Stays d7, 48 and 49 may be provided at desired points in the garment either underlying edges such as 15, 26, 27, or extending across the sections as shown by the dotted lines in section 41.

Stocking supports 50 may be provided or omitted as 29 where the side panel 16 joins'the front panel 313. It should be noted that the extent of the overlapped areas is such that these areas extend upwardly and forwardly from the rear panel 11 to provide additional strength to support and control the hip and buttocks area of the body. The front panels 311 and 31 are formed with overlapped tions providing overlapped areas having their maximum width at the forward edges 43, 34 and their minimum width at the intersection of the overlapped areas with the upright edge 29 of the panel 16. The overlapped area formed by the section 32 in combination with the sections 35 and 41 extends downwardly and rearwardly from the center of the abdominal region of the body of the wearer. While the overlapped portion formed by the bottom por- 'tion of the section 41 in combination with the sections .32 and 35 extends upwardly and rearwardly from the dominal region of the body of the wearer. Thus, it can be seen that a smoothing and flattening effect is obtained 'on the abdomen of the wearer.

The zones of control and extra strength in the desired portions of the garment 11B are delineated by the lines of stitching coinciding with the edges of the various overlapped portions of the several sections in each panel. By varying the shapes of these edges, the zones of control in any portion of the garment can be regulated to the desired degree. A garment 111 has thus been created which obviates the need for, or use of, applied tapes, bands or additional layers of material to control the contours of the wearer. Referring specifically to Figures 6 through 9, a modified form of the invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 110. The garment 1113' consists of a rear pan'el111 which terminates short of the waistline 112 of the garment 110 and carries an upper rear panel member 113, Which is secured at 11 to the top edge of the rear panel 111 by means of stitching. The rear panel 111 is provided with side edges 115 which extend in a generally parallel relation to each other.

A side panel, generally indicated at 116, is formed of a plurality of sections formed of elastic material. The lowermost section 117 is provided with a bottom edge 118 which forms a portion of the bottom edge 118 of the garment 110. An upright side edge 119 is secured to the upright edge 115 of the rear panel 111 by means of stitching, and the upper edge 12% extends upwardly and forwardly of the side edge 119 thereof. A central section 121 has an upright side edge 122 secured to the side edge 115' of the rear panel 111 above the side edge 119. The section 121 is provided with a bottom edge 123 which is secured by means of stitching to the section 117, and the top edge 120 of the section 117 is secured by means of stitching to the section 121. The top edge 12% of the section 117' is formed slightly convex, as illustrated in Figure 6. The bottom edge 123 of the section 121 extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear panel 111 and is formed slightly concave. The section 121 is provided with a curved top edge 124 which extends generally upwardly and forwardly of the rear panel 111. The top section 125 is secured along one upright edge 126 to the edge 115 of the rear panel 111, and to the edge 127 of the panel 113 by means of stitching. Section 125 has a top edge 112 forming part of the waistline 112 of the garment 1119. The bottom edge 128 of the section 125 is also curved, overlapping the section 121 and secured thereto by means of stitching along the edges 124 and 128. The edge 125 of the section 125 extends upwardly and forwardly of the rear panel Sections 117, 121 and 125 complete the side panel 116 and have a common upright forward edge 129 extending from the bottom edge 118 to the top edge 112 of the garment 110. The front of the garment 1111 is formed with a pair of identical reversed panels 1311 and 131, each of which are formed of a plurality of sections of elastic mate'rial. Panels 130 and 131 are each provided with a lower section 132 having a bottom edge 118 forming a portion of the bottom edge 118 of the garment 110. An upright rear edge 133 is secured by means of stitching to the upright edge 129 of the panel 116. An opposed up right front edge 13 1 is secured to the corresponding edge 134 of the panel 131. The center section 135 is secured along one upright edge 136 to the side edge 129 of the panel 116 by means of stitching, and is provided with a concave lower edge 137 and a concave upper edge 138, which converge to a point at 139 where the section 135 contacts the forward edge of the panel 130. The section is provided with a concave upper edge 140, with the edges 1411 and 137 overlapped and secured together by means of stitching. An upper section 141 is secured along the rear upright side edge 142 thereof to the upright edge 129 of the panel 116. The forward upright edge 143 of the section 141 is secured to a like edge 143 of the panel The bottom edge 144 of the section 141 is concave and extends downwardly and forwardly from the edge 129 of the panel 116. The edge 144 and the edge 158 are overlapped and secured together by means of stitching. The edge 144 of the section 141, and the edge 141) of the section 132, intersect at a point approximately midway of the panel 13% and have the front portions thereof overlapped as at 145. The overlapped portions 145 of the sections 132 and 141 are further overlapped by the forward portion 14s of the section 135 so that the panel 130 has a central portion comprising three layers of overlapped sections.

Suitable stays (not shown) may be provided at desired points in the garment 11%, either underlying formed edges of sections or having separate pockets constructed in the sections. Stocking supports may be provided or omitted, as desired.

The lower rear panel 111 also consists of a series of sections. The bottom section 151 has a bottom edge 118 forming a part of the bottom edge 113 of the garment 11%, and has a pair of upright side edges 152. The side edges 152 are joined to the rear edges 119 of the sections 117 at opposite sides. The section 151 is provided with a deeply concaved upper edge 153 which terminates at the edges 152 equidistant from the bottom edge 118 of the section 151. A center section 154 is provided with opposed side edges 155 which are joined to the opposite side edges 122 of the section 121. The bottom edge 156 of section 154 is formed with convex curve substantially the same but opposite to the concave curved edge 153 of the section 151. The section 154 is overlapped onthe section 151 with the upper edge 153 and the lower edge 156 or" the sections 151 and 154, respectively, being secured to the sections 151 and 154, respectively, by means of stitching. An upper section 157 is likewise provided with side edges 15? which are secured to opposite side edges 126 of the sections 125. The section 157 has a lower edge 159 which is slightly convex and is adapted to underlie the section 154. The top edge 161) of the section 154 is formed deeply concaved and overlaps the section 157 with the edges 159 and 161) secured to the sections 154 and 157, respectively, by means of stitching. The center section 154 extends across and under the buttock portion of the wearers body, as an extension of the side panels 121 and the front panel 135, in such a manner that the section 154 acts as a supporting sling.

The garment 1119, as formed with the side panels 1.16 including overlapped sections 121 and 125, has overlapped areas having a maximum width at the intersection of the overlapped areas with edge 115 of the rear panel 111, and a minimum width at the intersection thereof with the edge 129 where the side panel 116 joins the front panel 13:11. It should be noted that the extent of the overlapped areas is such that these areas extend upwardly and forwardly from the rear panel 111 to provide additional strength to support and control the hip and buttock area of the body. The front panels 130 and 131 are formed of overlapped sections providing overlapped areas having their maximum width at the forward edges 133 and 134,

and their minimum width at the intersection of the overlapped areas of the upright edge 129 of the panel 116. The overlapped area formed by the section 132, in combination with the sections 135 and 141, extends downwardly and rearwardly from the center of the abdominal region of the body of the wearer. While the overlapped portion formed by the bottom portion of the section 141, in combinaion with the sections 132 and 135, extends upwardly and rearwardly from the abdominal region of the body of the wearer. Thus it can be seen that a smoothing and flattening effect is obtained on the abdomen of the wearer. The overlapped areas of the sections 153 and 154 have their edges in alignment with the overlapped portions formed by the sections 117 and 121, and the overlapped portions of the sections 154 and 157 have their edges in alignment with the edges of the overlapped portion of the sections 121 and 125. The overlapped portions of the sections 153 and 154 extend downwardly and across the panel 111 to form an area of greater control under the buttocks of the body of the wearer. The overlapped portions of the sections 154 and 157 likewise extend downwardly and across the rear panel 111 to form an area of greater control across the buttocks of the wearer.

Zones of control and extra strength in the desired portions of the garment 110 are delineated by the lines of stitching coinciding with the overlapped portions of the several sections in each panel. By varying the shapes of these edges, the zones of control in any portion of the garment 110 can be regulated to the desired degree.

As will be noted from the disclosure herein, there is provided in garments of this kind a means of obtaining zones of maximum control in desired areas of the garment, without bulk, and such would not be possible from the use of tapes or elastic bands which necessarily are of a fixed width, whereas in the present invention the zones of extra elastic strength are as variable as the limits of variation in cutting and stitching. Thereby the present construction results in a fashioning of the garment in such manner that the extent of the Zone of control is at its maximum, where it should be, adjacent the lower portions of the buttocks on each side of the garment, crossing under the buttocks and in the abdominal region, while eliminating undesirable bulk at the rear, sides and front of the garment. Also when a thin gown or dress is worn over the garment, there are no undesirable lines of thickness to show through and thus delineate portions of the foundation garment.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a foundation garment of the type having a rear panel, a pair of opposed side panels having their rear side edges secured to the forward edges of said rear panel and a pair of front panels having their forward edges secured together and their rear edges secured to the froward edges of said side panels with each of said side panels comprising, a lower section having an upper edge extending upwardly and forwardly from the rear edge of said panel to the forward edge of said panel, a central section having a lower edge portion substantially overlapping the upper edge of said lower section with the lower edge of said central section extending upwardly and forwardly from the rear edge of said side panel to the forward edge thereof, said central section having an upper edge extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward edge of said rear panel to the rear edge of said front panel, an upper section having a lower edge portion substantially underlapping the upper edge of said central section and extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward edge of said rear panel to the rear edge of said front panel, the width of the overlapped and underlapped portions of said sections decreasing from the rear panel to the front panel, said front panels each comprising a second lower section having an upper edge extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward edge of said side panel to the front edge of said front panel, a second central section having a lower edge extending upwardly and forwardly from the forward edge of said side panel to the front edge of said front panel and having the lower edge portion thereof substantially overlapping the top edge of said second lower section, said second central section having an upper edge extending downwardly and forwardly from the forward edge of said side pnael to the front edge of said front panel and a second upper section having a lower edge portion substantially underlapping the upper edge portion of said central section and extending forwardly and downwardly from the forward edge of said side panel to the front edge of said front panel, the forward lower portion of said second upper section and the forward upper portion of said second lower portion also substantially overlapping with maximum width of each of the overlapped portions occurring along the front edge of said front panel.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of said lower section is concave.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of said second lower section is concave.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of said central section is concave.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper edge of said second central section is concave.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower edge of said upper section is concave.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower edge of said second upper section is concave.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper edges of said lower and said central sections and the lower edge of said upper section are concave.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper edges of said second lower and said second central sections and the lower edge of said second upper section are concave.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper edges of said lower, said second lower, said central, and said second central sections, and the lower edges of said upper and said second upper sections are concave.

11. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said back panel is formed of a plurality of sections, one of which extends across the lower portion of said back panel in the form of a sling adapted to engage beneath and support the buttocks of the wearer.

12. A device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sections above and below the rear section forming a sling are underlapped therewith to form areas of increased control along the top and bottom edges of the section forming a sling.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the bottom edge of the section forming a sling is formed convex and the top edge thereof is formed concave.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 696,227 Decker Mar. 25, 1902 1,088,371 Rossiter Feb. 24, 1914 2,675,548 Leonard 1. Apr. 20, 1954 2,705,799 Frischer 1. Apr. 12, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 462,882 Canada Jan. 31, 1950 

